Don't Leave Me Sam
by shimmerinstars
Summary: Sam disappears. Dean, after days without a lead calls Patrick for help. A character from "The Things We Don't Know." Patrick, a friend of John, took care of and grew close to Sam when Dean was at Sonny's home for boys. They'd recently reunited when Dean made a stop at a bar called Patrick's Place. Amara needs to be stopped but Castiel is not possessed and Lucifer is in the cage.
**Disclaimer:** Not mine

 **Author's Notes:** Thanks to Jedisapphire for the beta

 **Summary:** Sam disappears. After a few days of searching Dean without a single lead calls Patrick for help. A character from "The Things We Don't Know" Patrick, a friend of John, took care of and grew close to Sam when Dean was at Sonny's home for boys. They'd recently reunited when Dean made a stop at a bar called Patrick's Place. In this story Amara needs to be stopped and the boys are making headway but Castiel is not possessed and Lucifer is still in the cage.

 **o0o**

"I can't find Sam," The voice on the phone was unsteady and barely audible.

"Dean?" Patrick asked, uncertain.

"Yeah, its me."

"Did I hear you right? Did you just say Sam is missing?"

"Yes, and it's like the kid vanished into thin air," Dean stated, frustrated, scared, and close to losing it. "I don't have a lead, not one, and that was with help.

"When?"

"Three days ago," Dean told him. "Please come."

"I'm on my way," Patrick said, heading out the door his things already in an overnight bag. "Don't you worry, we'll find Sam."

 **o0o**

Not worrying was asking the impossible of Dean, especially after Castiel and Crowley had spent the last few days helping him search for Sam and not coming up with a single clue to where he might be. There was no trail to follow. Nothing.

Dean tried to block it out but a horrifying thought crept into his mind. It was possible he'd never see Sam again.

Grabbing a bottle of whiskey Dean poured himself a drink. But nothing could suppress that fear and the emotion he'd stuffed down these past few days looking for his little brother.

Standing alone in the Library, scared, and with tears starting to stream down his face. Dean broke the deafening silence of the room. "I'm going to find you Sammy and bring you home. I promise. Then I'm going to kick your ass for scaring me this way."

Dean wiped his eyes, downing the rest of his drink, then under his breath he added.

"Please don't leave me, Sam.

 **o0o**

Dean's first reaction when Patrick arrived was to hug him. Holding onto the tall older gentleman with how much he meant to Sam was like holding a part of his brother and Dean needed that now.

"How about we have a cup of coffee?" Patrick suggested with his kind manner and warm blue eyes, taking the whiskey out of Dean's hand and placing it on the table. "You can tell me everything that happened the day Sam disappeared."

"What? We need to get back out there looking?"

"So you have a lead?" Patrick inquired.

"No, but we got to do something."

"We are Dean. By you telling me everything that happened right before Sam went missing."

Dean knew immediately there was something different about Patrick. He wasn't the same guy who visited them a couple of months ago. That he had definitely returned to the confident leader and skilled hunter he'd been all those years ago. Who guided John Winchester as a novice hunter, but had left that life behind when his younger brother Johnny was brutally killed.

 **o0o**

Dean took a sip of coffee and began. "I needed a few parts for my car so I decided to head over to the auto store in Hartford, its a small town about ten minutes from here. Sam decided to come along, suggesting we pick up a pizza from Sal's. Which sounded good and not out of the way, with the pizzeria being only a few stores down from the Auto place.

"How was Sam on the ride over?"

"What? He was fine."

"Dean think about it. Did anything seem different about him?"

"No! What are you trying to say? Wait, it did cross my mind that Sam seemed in an unusually good mood. But I chalked that up to us finally getting a break on a difficult case we've been working."

"You mean a way to stop Amara?"

Caught off guard by Patrick's knowledge of God's sister, Dean was literally tongue tied.

"I knew a little about the darkness," Patrick admitted. "But after meeting you, my visit here, and especially after finding Sam again after all these years. I made it my business to know everything there was. It wasn't hard to tell you guys were knee deep in this business with Amara. So I got in touch with a few old contacts of mine, and they filled me in on a lot of what I've missed. But as far as Amara goes there was not a lot, but I have a feeling no one knows more about her then you two, especially you Dean."

"I had to get back in the game for Sam's sake," Patrick explained. "That kid saved me when he stole my heart all those years ago. There's something inherently good and kind about Sam. Made me want to protect him and take care of him. Still do."

"Hey, you're preaching to the choir here, you know?" Dean smiled, with knowing eyes.

"Sorry, what I'm trying to say is he's family to me and you are too Dean. Besides I've been hiding in my grief long enough. My brother Johnny would want me to help. Lord knows he would have kicked my ass for sitting on the sidelines all this time."

"I would have liked your brother."

"Johnny would have definitely liked you Dean. He was a bit of a wise ass too," Patrick smiled, warmly. "Now how about filling me in on what you and Sam have been up to lately and with who."

"That might take a while."

"Just give me the highlights. Maybe something will click with the information my contacts have. But first finish with your trip to Hartford."

 **o0o**

"There's not much to tell once we got into town," Dean continued. "I went into the auto store and Sam the pizzeria."

"Tell me anyway, every detail."

"Well we parked in a lot behind the strip of small stores. Which we've done many times before. We both got out and Sam went to order the pizza while I went into the auto store and who ever was done first, would find the other."

"So did you and Sam both use the back door to these places?"

"I did. But the back entrance to the Pizzeria is usually locked so Sam used the walkway."

"Walkway?"

"Yeah, its a small walk through, more like a tunnel, a short cut from the parking lot to the main street and front entrances of the stores. We've both used it many times. There are no exits in it, no places to hide."

"So did you see Sam use it?"

"No, I saw him walking towards it. I yelled to make sure he didn't put mushrooms on my pizza. To get his own pie if he wanted any of those gross things on his."

"He laughed and gave me some smart ass remark," Dean's eyes welled up remembering the mischievous grin Sam gave him before saying. "I'll make sure to tell Michael you said _extra_ mushrooms Dean."

"Then he laughed Patrick. Sam's laugh is the last thing I heard."

"Hey," Patrick put a hand on Dean's shoulder. "We're going to find him."

"We will," Dean agreed. "We have to."

 **o0o**

"So the king of hell, and an Angel named Castiel, they're the help you spoke of?" Patrick uttered, in disbelief.

"Hard to believe but true."

"And you had a history with Cain from the biblical Cain and Abel and Sam with the fallen Angel Lucifer?"

"I swear I'm not making this up. When we find Sam he'll back me up."

"I believe you Dean its..."

"A lot to take in," Dean sympathized with the guy. " We had a history with death too. Until I killed him,"

"Now you're messing with me."

Dean's eyes relayed he wasn't.

"Now that's a story you and Sam have to tell me one day."

"We will," Dean promised. "Listen this is probably nothing, but something weird happened last week."

"Weird as compared to what?"

"Weird even for this bunker," Dean said. "Choas tracked me and Sam down to have a chat."

"Chaos?" Patrick took a moment to let it sink in. "Okay let me get this straight a powerful entity from the beginning of time wanted to chat? What could Chaos possibly want from two humans?"

"To talk about Amara."

"Amara?" Patrick repeated, with a knowing look on his face.

"What is it?" Dean asked.

"That might be it Dean!"

"Might be what?"

"What happened to Sam?"

"How? All Chaos did was ask about Amara and what she was up to? It's something a lot of people want to know. Where as some of us are pretty sure her intentions are to leave this planet in ruins. What possible reason could Chaos have to take Sam or want to harm him?"

"Dean, Chaos didn't just stop by to ask about Amara, he's been her companion for a while and then about a week ago he wasn't."

"What? How could you know that?"

"Like I said I re-connected with old contacts of mine. One of the few things they did know about Amara, was who if anyone she'd been keeping company with."

"And Sam and I warned him about what she was up to."

"Not sure why Amara had Choas around but you and Sam spilling the beans on her plans, that's enough reason for her to want to get back at you."

"Or at me through Sam, " Dean added angrily.

"Can you contact her being connected by the mark?"

"Usually I sense Amara when she's nearby but I can try. I have an idea where to."

After getting Patrick into the dungeon under the guise of getting a weapon. Dean locked him in explaining his bond with God's sister might protect him but she'd probably kill him like a human swaps a fly.

 **o0o**

"Where is my brother," Dean yelled angrily, Angel blade in hand. "Tell me!"

"I like you Dean," Amara smiled, stroking his face as she moved seductively past him. "But did you really think I'd sit back and do nothing."

"Where's Sam?" Dean demanded, fighting her hold on him enough to thrust the blade into her chest. But like last time it shattered into pieces.

"Your brother's fine," She assured him, the impact of Dean's actions having no effect on her at all. "But to how fine Sam will be, is up to you."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"You will find out soon."

"If you hurt him!" Dean threatened.

"You'll do what Dean?" Amara asked. "I could've easily killed Sam but I didn't because I know how much he means to you?"

"I seriously doubt it."

'You're probably right. But Chaos was my first taste of companionship after being alone for as long as I can remember. It was different and I liked it. Well for the time being it amused me. But you drove him away. with revealing my true vision for earth. Sam isn't dead because I care about you Dean. But you needed to be taught a lesson."

"Then teach me. Don't take it out on him!"

"It's done," Amara said, gazing at him momentarily. "Now it's up to you to figure out how to return Sam completely."

"What did you do to him?"

"Because you are my one weakness. I'm going to give you three clues from a childhood memory of yours. The first is a children's fable.

"What freaking kind of clue is that?"

"When you see Sam, the state he is in will be your second clue."

"See him?"

"Yes, he's back in his room already."

"Your third clue is fear. Put all the clues together, do the foolishness required, and you will have the one and only way to make your brother complete again. Fail and he will be lost to you forever.

 **o0o**

"Yell or punch me later, Sam's back," Dean told Patrick, taking off for his brother's room after opening the dungeon door.

Dean ran into Sam's bedroom to find him, lying unconscious on the bed.

"Sammy," Dean said, quickly on the bed beside him. "Sammy," Dean repeated, brushing the hair off his brother's forehead and patting his face hoping to get some response. But Sam didn't stir at all, he was motionless as if in a coma or more so dead.

"Open your eyes Sammy," Dean pleaded. "Open them for me, please!"

"Maybe we need a doctor to check him out," Patrick said looking worried.

"I'm taking care of that." Dean said, and before the older gent could ask how.

"I'm here Dean," Castiel appeared.

"Woah there, " Dean grabbed hold of Patrick ready to pounce. "This is Castiel, the Angel I told you about. He's here to check Sam out."

Castiel placed his finger tips gently on Sam's temples and closed his eyes. A moment later he did the same but with his hands on Sam's chest.

"He's perfectly fine," The Angel announced.

"How the hell is this fine?" Dean shouted, pointing at his brother.

"I can't explain why Sam is unconscious Dean. But physically there is nothing wrong with him. He is in some form of stasis. What I'm not sure."

"Probably some kind of spell," Crowley suggested, making his entrance.

"Let me guess," Patrick said. "King of Hell."

"You know your royalty well," Crowley said, eyeing the older gentleman, with his usual unsettling way. "You must be Moose's friend Patrick?"

"Moose?"

"It's a term of endearment, for those close to me."

Dean gave Patrick, the just smile and nod look.

"I didn't detect a spell, trance, or enchantment of any kind," Castiel told the small group standing around an eerily still Sam.

"Still doesn't mean there's not one being used." Crowley said. "Might just be above your pay grade feathers."

"Maybe the only way to help Sam is to figure out what these clues mean, " Patrick suggested strongly.

"I've tried," Dean said. "I really have. But I have no idea what they mean."

"Maybe they are more like something you don't remember?"

"Maybe. But for right now I'm going to hit the books."

Castiel left to see what information, if any, he could find from the Angels, and Crowley said he'd sniff around a few low life's he knew that might have some inside information, they'd be willing to part with.

"I'll join you," Patrick said, watching Dean tell Sam where and what he'll be doing and that he'll stop in to see him every once in a while to let him know how things are going.

 **o0o**

After spending most of the night seated at the Library table looking for any way to help Sam, Patrick closed the book in front of him.

"How are you doing?" He asked Dean seated across from him.

"I'm good," He answered, not very convincingly.

"I'll get us some coffee," Patrick offered.

"How about something stronger?" Dean offered.

"Sounds good."

Getting up, Dean grabbed a bottle and a couple of glasses and poured them each a drink.

Handing one to Patrick, Dean told him he'd be back in a few minutes wanting to check on his brother.

Patrick doubted anything had changed with Sam's condition. But rather that Dean just needed to be with his brother if only just to sit beside him. Patrick also knew what everyone here involved did, including Dean. That what ever Amara used to put Sam in this state of being, it was unlikely that anything in the bunker was strong enough to counter it. But they'd keep trying as the clues given Dean seemed to be meaningless to him or forgotten with time.

Patrick nursed his drink, waiting for Dean to return. When Castiel popped in and left him a message that he'd come up with no information to help Sam but would keep trying.

"Well he's the same," Dean said, entering the Library and taking a seat, his eyes red from the strain of reading and lack of sleep, but also seen were remnants of tears not completely wiped away.

"How about trying to get a little sleep." Patrick suggested softly.

"I'll sleep when Sam opens his eyes," Dean said, looking lost and like a part of him was missing. Patrick understood that feeling well all too well.

"I don't mean to be rude," Dean added. "I just can't."

"I get it," Patrick acknowledged.

"I know you do."

 **o0o**

 **"** It's been two days and I have no freaking idea what she's talking about." Dean said, desperately trying to piece together Amara's clues. Having finally relented that even the Men of letters had no answer for how to help Sam. Castiel and Crowley now joining them in Sam's bedroom both reporting they'd regrettably come up with zilch.

"I don't know what to do," Dean shouted out in frustration. "This is the third night with Sammy this way and I have no clue on how to help him."

"We'll figure it out. We will," Patrick tried to be positive.

"How?" Dean questioned, walking over to sit on the bed beside Sam, picking up his hand to hold it, not caring who saw this.

"Well lets go over these clues again," Patrick said. "Amara said, she cast the remedy using a childhood memory of yours."

"I've raked my mind but these clues are vague. She could be talking about a number of different ages for Sam and me and this memory, it would have to be at least twenty years ago, at the very least," Dean said frustrated, staring at his brother's hand, hoping to see movement.

"A fairy tale, the state your brother is in and fear," Patrick repeated them. "What could have happened that involved all three?"

"Come on sleeping Beauty!" Crowley shouted in Sam's direction. "Do I have to give you a kiss to wake you up!"

"That's it!" Dean shouted wide-eyed.

"What you want me to kiss your brother?"

"God no," Dean cringed at the idea.

"Too bad, I kind of fancied the thought. Okay," Crowley raised his hands in defense of the look Dean gave him "So what exactly is it I said then?"

"Yes Dean, I didn't see anything useful in what Crowley said." Castiel chimed in.

"How does the fairy tale Sleeping beauty fit?" Patrick questioned.

"It's what Sam feared," Dean started to explain. "Well, after some numb skull read him the story when he was like five. The going to sleep part and never waking up. It freaked him out for a while."

"Was that numb skull you Dean?" Castiel asked.

"Yes," Dean gave the Angel an annoyed look. "We were in a hospital waiting room. Dad had been hurt on a hunt, pretty bad and Sleepy Beauty, was the only kid book in the waiting area. Sam was scared so I tried to take his mind off it."

"By scaring him more? I don't understand." Castiel looked confused.

"That wasn't my intention," Dean said through gritted teeth.

"Well after everything I've seen and found out the last few days," Patrick stated, eyeing the angel and demon standing nearby. "This doesn't seem too far out there."

 **o0o**

"Please let this work," Dean said quietly, standing beside the bed. "As crazy as this seems, please let it work," he repeated as he leaned over and lightly kissed Sam on the forehead.

Then Dean anxiously, along with Patrick, Castiel, and Crowley, watched for any change in Sam. But there wasn't any.

"Maybe we were wrong?" Castiel questioned, after a few moments passed.

"Just give it a little more time," Dean said, the fading hope, showing on his face.

"Maybe the bitch never intended for Sam to wake up at all?" Crowley threw into the conversation.

"Don't say that," Dean shouted.

"Why not? It's a possibility," Crowley argued, his voice getting louder as he made his case." After all she is a God, nothingness, and oh yeah a bitch!"

"Hey," Patrick stepped in addressing Crowley. "You made your point."

"Oh, are you Squirrel's new protector!'

"No, Dean is capable of taking care of himself. All I'm asking is for you to back off on the doom and gloom."

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to. I don't have to take this you know?"

"No I haven't. Crowley King of Hell and you're right you don't have to take it, you could just leave!'"

"And it doesn't scared you a little talking to me this way."

"It might, but you do what you have to, for family, scared or not."

"Impressive. I'll give him that," Crowley tipped his hat and was gone.

"That was ballsy," Dean said.

"Not really. He looks like my Uncle Louie and I could never take that guy seriously."

Dean smiled, but his eyes told a different story.

"We'll figure it out Dean. We will. This is just a set back. We won't stop until Sam wakes up."

"I know," Dean said, deflated.

"Sam is awake," A groggy voice said.

Dean turned around and found himself looking into familiar hazel eyes."

"Sammy!" Dean rushed to his brother's side, seating himself on the bed. "Thank God you're awake. How do you feel?" He asked one hand grasping Sam's shoulder, the other affectionately pushing the hair back off his face.

"Tired and hungry but mostly tired," Sam answered. "I must have really scared you." He added, noting the way Dean was openly fussing over him.

"You were out for a couple of days. I wasn't sure you'd ever wake up."

"Hey, I'm here." Sam said in a soothing voice. "What happened Dean?"

"What do you remember?"

"Mushrooms and you telling me not to put any on the pizza. Then Amara, telling me something like, we brought this on ourselves, and then Crowley and Patrick arguing. Is Patrick here?" Sam asked.

"I am," Patrick stepped closer. "It's good to see you awake."

"I agree," Castiel added moving into view. "You had us worried."

"I don't remember much of it," Sam said. "But thanks."

"Let's go get some coffee and let these guys talk," Patrick suggested, putting an arm around Castiel, guiding him to the door. "Now do Angels drink coffee?"

Sam looked at Dean stunned and amused. "You have to tell me all about that, after you fill me in on what happened."

"I will and you'll get a real kick out of it too. Patrick, he's a real good egg. I don't know what I would have done without him here."

"You don't have to worry about that. We're okay right?"

"Of course we are." So are you up to hearing this, you look exhausted Sam."

"I want to know everything."

Dean got up and grabbed his brother's desk chair, pulling it up close to Sam's bed he sat there and started to recount the last few days. Sam listening intently.

 **o0o**

"What happened here?" Patrick asked, an amused smile on his face.

Dean was sound asleep in the chair, his head lying on folded arms, rested on the edge of Sam's bed.

"My prince conked out," Sam said, eyeing Dean warmly. "Please don't wake him."

"I wasn't going to. He hasn't slept in days. Besides I don't think there's anywhere else he'd want to be."

"I don't want him to be anywhere else," Sam admitted, running his hand lightly over Dean's hair.

"Did you really call him your prince?"

"Oh, more than once." Sam grinned widely.

"And?"

"I got just as many shut ups. Then told I fit the part of sleeping beauty perfectly, being a genuine princess."

"Sounds about right for brothers as close as you two are. l'll let you get some sleep," Patrick said, cupping Sam's face gently. "I'm glad you're okay and I'm making a nice breakfast to celebrate that."

"Sounds good. Thank you Patrick."

"For what?"

"For being there for my brother."

"You never have to thank me for that. We are family right?"

"We are," Sam smiled, finding it hard to keep his eyes open.

Patrick shut off the light and just as he turned to leave, he caught sight of Sam gently taking hold of Dean's hand, right before he closed his eyes.


End file.
